Related Experiment Video
Updated: Jan 28, 2026

Synthesis and Functionalization of 3D Nano-graphene Materials: Graphene Aerogels and Graphene Macro Assemblies
Published on: November 5, 2015
Surface-Engineered Amino-Graphene Oxide Aerogel Functionalized with Cyclodextrin for Desulfurization and
Zunbin Duan1, Huiming Zhang2, Qiang Tong3
1National Engineering Research Center for Colloidal Materials and School of Chemistry and Chemical Engineering, Shandong University, Jinan 250100, China.
Abstract:
The selective removal of trace heteroatomic contaminants from fuel remains a critical challenge for clean combustion and refinery upgrading, particularly due to the chemical stability and structural similarity of sulfur- and nitrogen-containing aromatics. Herein, a surface-engineered graphene oxide aerogel functionalized with cyclodextrin (β-CD-CONH-GO) is developed via covalent grafting to introduce well-defined host-guest recognition sites within a porous framework. Spectroscopic and microscopic characterizations confirm successful functionalization, preserved aerogel morphology, and accessible hybrid interfaces. The removal process for monocyclic, bicyclic, and tricyclic impurities is governed by synergistic molecular inclusion within the cyclodextrin cavity, interfacial hydrogen bonding, and secondary confinement provided by the aerogel porosity. Thus, the β-CD-CONH-GO exhibits efficient adsorption toward representative bicyclic impurities, and the removal performance follows the order of indole > quinoline > benzothiophene. Kinetic analysis demonstrates pseudo-second-order adsorption behavior, indicating chemisorption dominated by cooperative host-guest recognition and hydrogen bonding. It possesses removal selectivity even in mixed systems containing structurally similar aliphatic and aromatic competitors and maintains > 95% efficiency after five regeneration cycles via ethanol extraction, confirming superb durability. This study demonstrates a feasible pathway to design adsorbents for deep fuel refining and highlights cyclodextrin-based graphene hybrid aerogels as promising candidates for separations.
More Related Videos
07:51Development and Functionalization of Electrolyte-Gated Graphene Field-Effect Transistor for Biomarker Detection
Published on: February 1, 2022
08:57Scalable Syntheses of Graphene Oxide and Reduced Graphene Oxide using Cascade Design Oxidation and Highly Basic Reduction Reactions
Published on: July 3, 2025
Related Concept Videos
Amino acids
Oxidation Numbers
Oxidation-Reduction Reactions
Pyruvate Oxidation
First, the enzyme pyruvate dehydrogenase removes the carboxyl group from pyruvate and releases it as carbon dioxide. The stripped molecule is then oxidized and releases electrons, which are then picked up by NAD+...
Amino Acid Catabolism
Functional Groups